


Puppy Love

by BearWithAHat



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Dogs, Dogsledding, Fluff, Idk what inspired me to write this but Im obsessed with dogsledding Lance and nicholas, LITERALLY, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Musher Au, Puppy Love, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:20:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25889473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BearWithAHat/pseuds/BearWithAHat
Summary: One of Lance and Nicholas' dogs has puppies, and it brings happiness to Lance in more ways than the obvious.
Relationships: Nicholas Latifi/Lance Stroll
Comments: 4
Kudos: 32





	Puppy Love

**Author's Note:**

> ok look, I don't know why but tonight I randomly started thinking of a dogsledding au and these two fit perfectly in my mind sjshhds
> 
> I'm gonna write a longer multichapter fic of this au after I finish some of my other multi chapter fics!!
> 
> *for anyone who may not know, a musher is a person who competes in dogsledding :)

Lance's love of dogs and dog sledding had started from a young age. Growing up in the Arctic-like regions of northern Canada meant that it was a part of his life from the get-go, with his parents both being competitive mushers in their younger years and Lance and his siblings having their parents sled dogs to play with. Waking up to a face full of husky fur was a staple of Lance's childhood, and it was no surprise that he got into dogsledding as soon as he could stand on a sled.

As he grew into adulthood, Lance carried on with the sport and eventually had his own team of dogs and funded himself to compete in long-distance races. It was his passion and he found that he had little time for much else, not that it bothered him. Lance was happy with his dogs, his family, the few close friends he had, and his other hobbies of reading and training the dogs; he had no time for romance.

That changed when he met Nicholas. The older man was a musher like Lance, and the two met at an endurance race all the way in Alaska, in the middle of sledding season. One of Lance's dogs had run over to play with one of Nicholas' dogs after the race, and the two Canadians ran into each other while trying to get their dogs apart, and the rest was history. Lance fell head over heels for Nicholas, and they got together a few months after meeting.

Fast forward a few years, and Lance found himself living with Nicholas in their own little house, with their dogs and each other to keep themselves company. They competed in sled races in the fall and winter and enjoyed their time off in the spring and summer, training their dogs and visiting friends and family.

Lance couldn't have been happier with his life. He lived with the man he loved, he worked with dogs he loved, and he and his boyfriend competed in the sport they loved together. Falling asleep in Nicholas' arms while the dogs played outside was the definition of perfect to him, and Lance never wanted that to change.

They normally raced for half the year, but one year in particular, they stopped early upon finding out that one of their dogs was pregnant. Aspen the husky was one of Lance's dogs, and he was thrilled to find out that she was carrying puppies. 

Lance and Nicholas normally let the dogs sleep in their kennels outside, however they had Aspen sleep in their little cabin with them each night the second that they found out she was pregnant. She had a bed of soft blankets at the foot of Lance and Nicholas' bed, and the former insisted on waking up multiple times throughout the night to check on her. He would cook warm broth for her each morning and make sure she got more than enough to eat, and Nicholas found it adorable how much Lance spoiled the dogs.

Truthfully, Lance was as proud as if it were his own kids being born. He and Nicholas were both counting down the days until she was due to give birth, and they spared no expense in preparing for the puppies to be born.

"I think she'll have them today," Nicholas said to him one morning over breakfast. Aspen had been restless the whole morning, pacing around more than usual and panting like she had just run a race.

"I hope so. I'm so excited and anxious at the same time, I just want to be here for it," Lance sighed, watching the dog closely as she sniffed around the kitchen. Lance was planning to spend the day working outside on repairing fences and reinforcing their sleds, and he almost considered putting it off for the day.

Nicholas seemed to guess what he was thinking and said, "hey, the work outside isn't gonna get itself done, babe. I'll be in here with her, fixing up some of the old harnesses, I'll come get you if something happens."

He gently put a hand on Lance's shoulder and gave him a reassuring look, and Lance smiled weakly at him.

"You're right, I guess I'm just being overprotective," he murmured. Nicholas laughed and pressed a kiss to his cheek, making a comment about Lance's great parental instincts.

A little ruefully, Lance trudged outside after finishing breakfast and set to work on the tasks he needed to get done. He glanced at the door of the house every once in a while just to make sure that Nicholas wasn't calling for him. Repairing the fence was a rather strenuous job at times though, and Lance eventually settled into it and stopped worrying so much.

Lance was just finishing on the fences when he heard the front door open and Nicholas call out, "you might want to get in here pretty soon, it looks like she's starting to have contractions!"

That was all it took to have him running through the snow, up to the house and kicking his boots off while letting his coat fall to the ground the moment he crossed the threshold. Nicholas led him into their living room, where Aspen was lying in the clean box they had made for her to have the puppies in. She was breathing heavily and looked to be in pain, and Lance felt bad that they could do nothing except wait and watch to make sure that everything went alright.

"How many do you think she'll have?" Lance whispered to Nicholas, leaning against his shoulder as they watched from a few feet away. Huskies normally had six in a litter, and Lance was eager to know how many Aspen would have.

"I don't know," Nicholas hummed, "but I know that however many they are, they'll all be splendid." Nicholas wrapped an arm around his shoulders and kissed his cheek, squeezing him close and keeping his eyes on the dog in discomfort.

It took nearly an hour of labor before Aspen began to push the first puppy out, and it wasn't until late in the evening that she delivered her last puppy in a healthy litter of six. Lance and Nicholas worked tirelessly to keep her calm and clean up after every puppy was born, and they sat and smiled as she cleaned the last pup and the others began to nurse.

"They're so cute," Lance giggled, sitting on the floor in Nicholas' lap. They had gone through many cups of coffee and made sure that Aspen drank water while delivering the puppies, and they were almost as tired as the new mother dog was. The tiny dogs were so precious looking to Lance, their eyes still closed and their ears seeming to just be small tuffs of fluff on their heads. Each one had distinctive markings on their faces and legs, and their miniature tails were barely as long as their legs.

"I know, and she's taking such great care of them already," Nicholas cooed, wrapping his arms around Lance and nuzzling at his neck. 

Aspen had dutifully cleaned each puppy after it was born and nudged them to nurse, and all six of them were wiggling around happily now. She wagged her tail and looked at Lance and Nicholas, as if to proudly announce the arrival of her kids.

"Good job, baby," Lance laughed, leaning forward to pat her head affectionately, "what should we name them?"

"Hmm, I think you should name them. Maybe you could find inspiration from all those books you love to read?" Nicholas suggested, rubbing Lance's arm and pressing a warm kiss to his cheek. 

Lance blushed and smiled over his shoulder at him, appreciating how his boyfriend remembered his love for classic literature. It was a good idea for a naming theme, and he spent the next few minutes thinking of different characters to name them after.

Nicholas and Lance waited until the puppies were done nursing to carefully pick up and inspect each one of them. There were four females and two males, and that helped Lance come up with some names for them. He mulled it over in silence for a few minutes, sitting back against Nicholas' chest and watching as Aspen and her tiny babies fell asleep.

"I think we should call the girls Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy," Lance announced, pointing to them one by one. 

"Those are perfect names for them. What about the boys?" Nicholas asked, watching admirably as Lance furrowed his brow and thought again.

"That one will be Buck," Lance pointed to the first pup, "and that one will be Queequeg."

Once they were named, it seemed to bring a new layer of magic to the whole ordeal. It was like they had officially welcomed them into their family, now an innumerable amount of dogs compared to just the two of them. Lance felt a warm and fuzzy sensation settle throughout him as he and Nicholas sat on the ground, a blanket now draped over them as they watched the dogs for a few more minutes. 

"Let's get in bed. I know we're both probably too excited to sleep, but it'll be more comfortable to lay there than to sit on the ground here," Nicholas said, helping Lance off the ground.

They changed out of their regular clothes and into some soft, warm night clothes, and Lance settled into bed and into Nicholas' arms. The layers of quilts were comforting and cozy, and Lance smiled as he lay his head against Nicholas' chest, wrapping his arms around his waist and pressing his cheek into the fuzzy fabric of his shirt. Nicholas kissed the top of his head and hummed, rubbing Lance's back.

"I can't believe we're dog grandparents now," Lance whispered, glancing over at the dogs in their pen. They were sleeping peacefully and quietly, and Lance wanted to protect them as much as possible.

He knew that they wouldn't be able to keep all of the puppies forever, they already had ten dogs and didn't necessarily need anymore. Still, Lance was excited to raise them and see some of them off to good homes when they were old enough. The ones who grew up to be big and strong would make great dogs for other local mushers, and the smaller ones could be nice friendly pets for families with kids who loved dogs as Lance did.

"I know, it's exciting. We should have our own babies someday," Nicholas murmured in his ear, hugging him close and kissing his cheek. Lance blushed and nosed at his chest, picturing him and Nicholas with that addition to their family in the future.

"I'm not objecting, but isn't it a little early for that? I mean, we aren't even like, _married_ yet," Lance said, peeking up at him through tired eyes.

Nicholas smiled down at him and looked over at the nightstand for a moment. He ruffled Lance's hair with one hand and reached over to pull open the drawer of the nightstand, digging around in it and shutting the drawer once he found a little velvet box. Lance barely even noticed what he was holding until Nicholas began to talk.

"Well then...how about we change that?" Nicholas whispered, and he opened the box with his thumb to reveal a beautiful ring, sparkling in the moonlight that streamed in through the open curtains.

Lance gasped and felt tears well up in his eyes, a smile growing across his face as he looked at the small box, inspecting the ring.

"Lance, do you want to get married?" Nicholas asked. Perhaps it wasn't the most ordinary proposal, in bed after birthing puppies while it snowed outside, but it was everything Lance could have asked for and more, and he pressed a passionate kiss to Nicholas' lips.

"Yes, oh my god yes Nicky, I want to marry you and be your husband and spend forever with you," Lance rambled in a breathless voice, kissing Nicholas' lips, cheeks, and forehead and clinging tightly to him.

Nicholas beamed and slid the ring onto his finger, rolling onto his back and pulling Lance to lay on top of him. He set the empty ring box on the nightstand and turned his attention to Lance, pulling him into a slow kiss and carding a hand through his soft hair.

They lay cuddled up with one another in bed for the rest of the night, whispering excitedly to each other about their future and the dogs, about what they wanted to do in the coming months until they too fell asleep.

Lance slept soundly that night, accompanied by his dog, her newborn puppies, and his new fiancee. Nothing could have made him happier.

**Author's Note:**

> there's just something about this au that I love soooo much and like I said im 1000% going to be writing a longer fic for this au someday
> 
> as always you can find me on tumblr @esteboo-ocon :)


End file.
